Man arrested after vehicle fires and shots fired at Fort Nelson First Nation

FORT NELSON, B.C. — A 40-year-old man is under arrest after a series of incidents at Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) on Wednesday evening.

A press release from Northern Rockies RCMP states a man was asked to leave a FNFN community meeting on April 23rd around 7:10 p.m. for reportedly being disruptive and appearing to be under the influence of drugs.

Officers say the man went to a nearby gas station, where he allegedly announced his intentions to light cars on fire.  

Shortly thereafter, a vehicle owned by FNFN was found to be ablaze in the community hall parking lot, with the flames spreading to a second vehicle.

Police received a call at approximately 7:45 p.m. about shots being allegedly fired at the man’s residence on the reserve.  

While police officers were dispatched to the scene, a woman leaving the reserve said she saw the vehicles on fire in the community hall parking lot and departed the area in her vehicle towards her residence on 52 Avenue.

She noticed a man, on an all-terrain vehicle, allegedly following her. According to the woman, she immediately ran inside her home as he allegedly shot a gun in her direction.

Nine minutes later, at 7:54 p.m., police received word a man was in a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound. To be cautious, the hospital was temporarily put on lockdown.

A police search of the man’s residence allegedly located a firearm. However, they said they found no evidence of a shooting taking place there.  

RCMP say the cause of the man’s non-life threatening injury is unknown. However, he was arrested and will remain in custody until his court appearance “in the coming days.”

The Northern Rockies RCMP detachment commander, Sgt. Christian Drabosenig, is advising the public to expect more police presence in the affected communities while their investigation into the incidents continues.

“We want to assure the public that we are actively investigating these incidents, including speaking to witnesses,” said Drabosenig. “I am urging the public to please contact us directly with information related to the vehicle fires and/or the shots fired, as opposed to posting on social media in order to minimize misinformation.”

Energeticcity.ca will update this story as information comes in, such as about his court appearance. 

Anyone with information should call the Northern Rockies RCMP at  250-774-2700.